In the manufacture and cutting of picture frame molding components or the like workpieces having opposing ends which are equally and oppositely angled with respect to each other and an inside edge of predetermined desired length from an elongate strip of material for purposes of building a mitered end picture frame or other frame device, various problems have been presented in these manufacturing and cutting operations to provide the desired inside edge length on the components or workpieces while reducing waste of the material being cut. These oppositely angled ends are normally of oppositely extending angles of 45.degree. for forming 90.degree. mitered corners in the overall picture frame or other frame being produced; however, other oppositely angled cut ends may be desired for the building of picture frames or other frames having other than a 90.degree. mitered corner.
In the manufacture and cutting of such picture frame molding components or the like workpieces from an elongate strip of material, it is the usual practice to make spaced, successive, parallel cuts through the elongate strip to form workpieces with parallel angular cut ends. A wastepiece is then cut off and removed from one end of each workpiece by making an oppositely angled cut. The main problem with this operation and the apparatus heretofore available therefor is in determining where to make the various cuts to allow for removal of a wastepiece for providing an ultimate inside edge on the workpiece of a predetermined desired length. Accordingly, this operation has necessarily required lengthy measuring and handling procedures. Also, this operation has often resulted in undesirably large wastepieces which render the cutting and manufacturing operation inefficient from a standpoint of maximum utilization of the strip of material being used. Clearly, the least waste would result from the cutting off and removal of only a triangular shaped wastepiece.
While the various miter box cutting devices for the cutting of picture frame molding components or the like workpieces having opposing ends which are equally and oppositely angled with respect to each other have been provided, none of these devices have included any provision or any mechanisms for easily and quickly measuring the ultimate desired inside edge length of each workpiece to be cut from the strip of material while compensating for the wastepiece to be removed from each workpiece.